[jude]

I bought my first used audio gear ever. Interconnects by Tara Labs -- their RSC Reference Generation 2's to be exact. How are they? Haven't listened to them yet.

But one thing's for sure -- they're friggin' huge. They're even thicker than my Audioquest Corals (which I thought were already a bit too beefy). They have what looks like red anodized aluminum Tara Labs brand rings on them at each connector (cool looking, but adds a bit too much girth to an already thick cable, and right at the connectors -- they're practically touching at my SACD player's outputs).

They have these really big locking RCA's (not too sure what to think about these locking RCA's, as I'm afraid they may cause undue wear if I'm not careful). When tightened, you'd be hard pressed to find a harder grip at an armwrestling competition.

I took some pictures of them. If time permits, I'll post the pics in this thread tonight.

 

[Flumpus]

Hey Jude,
If I remember correctly, Tara Labs make the REALLY expensive cables, right? Hurry up and listen to them!

You had DH Labs IC's before the audioquests right? I'm really curious to see how these compare... Look forward to your thoughts on 'em!

 

[jude]

Flumpus,

Yes, I did have the Silver Sonics, but good ol' JMT has 'em now -- he effectively bought them from me.

I sold them because I switched to these Audioquest Corals.

Then I bought the Taras because I have the Creek OBH-11 which also needs RCA-terminated interconnects.

Well....it appears I'm selling the OBH-11 because now that I have the Max, I like crossfeed. My Total Airhead gives me crossfeed at the office now, so I'm selling the OBH-11.

No, the Total Airhead doesn't provide quite the detail and body overall that my OBH-11 provides, but it sounds plenty good enough and has crossfeed, so it'll more than suffice for the office.

And once I sell my OBH-11, I may actually sell either the Corals or the Taras (since I'll have an extra pair of interconnects sitting around after the OBH-11 sells).

By the way, I think these Taras retail for around $200 for a meter pair. Tara does make some insanely high-priced stuff, but I think they go by the name "The Zero" and "The One" or something like that. Mine are the RSC Reference Generation 2's.

 

[Flumpus]

Ah, ya, that's what i was thinking of... The Zero I believe, insanely expensive

Glad you're enjoying your Max and TA.

Should we expect the first review ever on our new forums from you?

 

[jude]

Quote:

Should we expect the first review ever on our new forums from you?

Maybe -- but I wouldn't be surprised if someone beat me to it! I'd bet there are a lot of folks chompin' on the bit to post. I myself was this close to having headphone discussion withdrawal convulsions!

 

[jude]

Believe it or not, I still haven't listened to them, but am about to now.

Here's a picture of them. To get some idea about how thick these things are, look at the size of the locking RCA plugs versus cable -- and those are very thick RCA plugs. Also, these cables are over three feet long each.

Those red things are red anodized aluminum rings that say "RSC" on them (the name of the cable). I'm not sure if they serve any purpose other than decoration.

Now I only hope they sound good.

 

[Vertigo-1]

Well now, that's the first time I've seen an interconnect that's been split entirely in two...I'm used to seeing the cheap thin stuff that's bound together around my setups.

 

[jude]

Quote:

Originally posted by Vertigo-1 Well now, that's the first time I've seen an interconnect that's been split entirely in two...I'm used to seeing the cheap thin stuff that's bound together around my setups.

LOL! Vert, that's criminal considering the cans you sport!

And, no, I still haven't listened to my system with them. Going to start right now actually.

 

[jude]

Okay, I just ran through the entire Gladiator soundtrack with the Taras in my home system. Very nice. My first impression of them is good. They obviously haven't had much time to run-in in my system yet.

So far, they're maybe even warmer than my Corals (which are warmer than the DH Labs Silver Sonics I was using not too long ago), and it's in a way I like so far. Bass comes through very nicely. Despite the warmth, I didn't feel at all like I missed anything in Gladiator, and in fact would characterize my first impressions of them as full-bodied yet detailed.

More listening will certainly be required to formulate a stronger opinion. I'll leave them in for a while and then put the Corals back in to see what I hear.

Let me give them a run with my Thelonius Monk Straight, No Chaser SACD.

 

[jude]

Okay, last post before I try to get at least a couple hours of sleep....

Just listened to much of Thelonius Monk's Straight, No Chaser with the Taras in the system, and I can say pretty definitively at this point that they're a warmer sounding cable than the Audioquest Corals, and much more so than the DH Labs Silver Sonics. Again, the Tara's character so far is very pleasant, with zero fatigue factor.

Still, more time is definitely required with them to know exactly whether I prefer them in my system over the Corals or not.

I may be working all day from home tomorrow (later today actually -- it's 5:04 a.m. here right now), so that should give me more good listening time with them.

Cripes, why am I still up?

 

[dhwilkin]

I know why you're still up. You're trying to get the new forums to break-in, aren't you? I think I noticed my submissions are happening a little smoother after several posts!

 

[ian]

Darnit Jude, now I want to try those cables

 

[acidtripwow]

Cool looking cables! I just got my pair of MIT 2s and it was like making a tube change in my Micro-Zotl. They were just smoother overall than the MIT 4s. The ends on them are locking type. I forgot that and tried to jam them in, oops.

I guess it pays to read the instructions first.

 

[jude]

Quote:

Originally posted by acidtripwow The ends on them are locking type. I forgot that and tried to jam them in, oops. I guess it pays to read the instructions first.

Note to self....examine the RCA jacks on the ZOTL if I ever buy it from acid.....

 

[jude]

Quote:

Originally posted by acidtripwow Cool looking cables! I just got my pair of MIT 2s and it was like making a tube change in my Micro-Zotl. They were just smoother overall than the MIT 4s. The ends on them are locking type.

For anyone who's interested in the MIT 2's, I think flashbak has a 1-meter pair for sale in the For Sale forum.